WE ARE BEGINNING TONIGHT WITH THE MOST DRASTIC RESPONSE WE'VE SEEN ON THE CENTRAL COAST TO THE UNPRECEDENTED DROUGHT. TONIGHT THE SANTA CRUZ WATER COMMISSION ANNOUNCED A WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY. WITH MORE ON WHAT RESIDENTS CAN EXPECT HERE'S ACTION NEWS REPORTER TOM MILLER LIVE IN SANTA CRUZ. THIS WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY DECLARATION WAS UNEXPECTED AND DRASTIC LEAPFROGGING STAGE TWO WATER RESTRICTIONS AND MOVING RIGHT INTO STAGE THREE. THERE ARE DOZENS OF NEW MEASURES THAT GO WITH THIS BUT AMONG THE MOST IMPACTFUL MANDATORY WATER RATIONING FOR HOMEOWNERS, AND JUST ONE DAY PER WEEK THAT YOU CAN WATER YOUR YARD. THE BIG FOCUS DURING STAGE THREE IS A DRASTIC OUTDOOR WATER USE REDUCTION BY TWO THIRDS CITYWIDE. ANOTHER 5 TO 10 PERCENT OF THIS REDUCTION IS SUPPOSED TO COME FROM INDOOR USE AND THE OVERALL GOAL IS FOR THE CITY AND ITS RESIDENTS TO USE 25 PERCENT LESS WATER. IF THIS GETS FINAL APPROVAL FROM THE CITY COUNCIL NEXT WEEK IT'S EXPECTED THE RATIONING WILL ALLOCATE JUST 50 GALLONS PER PERSON PER HOME WHERE IF YOU GO OVER THAT LIMIT RATES INCREASE TENFOLD. 36:40 It's enough for personal and indoor needs, but not enough to water outdoors if at all. So people have to make choices about what they're willing to save, if they want to keep their landscape plantings alive under water rationing 36:55 SO HOW DID WE GET HERE? THERE'S BEEN A COMPOUNDING EFFECT BEGINNING WITH THE LACK OF RAIN. THIS YEAR SANTA CRUZ HAS ONLY RECEIVED EIGHT PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL, AS A RESULT THE SAN LORENZO RIVER WHICH PROVIDES THE CITY WITH MOST OF ITS WATER IS AT 4 PERCENT OF NORMAL. FORTUNATELY THE LOCH LOMOND RESERVOIR IS AT 65 PERCENT CAPACITY BUT IT'S SMALL AND EVEN WHEN COMPLETELY FULL IT HOLDS LESS THAN A YEARS' WORTH OF WATER. THERE ARE TWO MAJOR STIPULATIONS THAT GO ALONG WITH THIS, FIRST THE CITY COUNCIL STILL NEEDS TO APPROVE THE PLAN AT IT'S MEETING NEXT WEEK. SECONDLY THE WATER DEPARTMENT ADMITS IT CAN NOT CHANGE THE PRICING ON ALL 93-THOUSAND BILLS QUICKLY AND SO THE NEW RATE LIKELY WOULDN'T GO INTO EFFECT UNTIL MAY. THE LAST TIME THE CITY ADOPTED A RATIONING PROGRAM WAS IN 1990 DURING A SIX YEAR DROUGHT. ###